


Steve Leonard Fucks His Future Up

by mynameisyarra



Category: Cirque du Freak | The Saga of Darren Shan - Darren Shan
Genre: Best Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Learning Disabilities, One Shot, Post-Canon, Tutoring, aka the world where theyre normal kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 03:45:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15525318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mynameisyarra/pseuds/mynameisyarra
Summary: Second chances are a precious thing. And Steve will give them all up for Darren. But first, studying.





	Steve Leonard Fucks His Future Up

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe I wrote slice of life

Steve Leonard is a problem kid.  _ Was  _ a problem kid. Nowaday he’s just a kid studying for his Junior Certificate. Some people are still wary of him. Which is… fair, actually. Especially since he’s about to beat up a teacher for no goddamn reason.

He makes his way to the teacher’s lounge where his target is. He’s balding and big and is chewing Darren for bringing the entire class down with his failing grades. “Hey, Darren. Come here.” Steve doesn’t wait for a reply, already pushing his best friend away from the teacher and outside the room.

“Leonard! I’m not done with him!” Big And Balding yelled as Steve locks the door. The teacher makes his way to Steve angrily, thinking he’s being intimidating.

Steve has seen worse and been worse.

The idiot didn’t see the nail gun at all.

He screams as his knee starts bleeding and falls back on his arse. Steve picks up the nearby chair and starts smashing it into his burly body.

“Wait! Please! I’m sorry-- I’ll apologize to Shan-.”

Steve laughs his best laughter, “You think this has anything to do with Darren?”

* * *

   


Of course it has everything to do with Darren.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Darren says mournfully. “That’s-- you’re going to get kicked out of school.”

“Yep.”

“People are scared of you again.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Why?” Steve asks. “You think I did it for you?” Darren scowls, unimpressed with his farce. “Yeah, okay. So I did. But other people would too given the chance. He’s lucky I know moderation.”

“He’s in the hospital.”

“For bruises and not anything life threatening.” Steve shrugs.

“You might go to jail.”

“I’m a minor, they’ll purge it from my record after I become an adult.”

“ _ Steve _ .” Darren looks like he’s about to cry. It is… really bad of Steve to feel happy about it. Probably.

“I never had a future, Darren.” Steve shrugs again, trying to look nonchalant again. But he can’t. “I-- for a long time? I already know I won’t have a future. I know how it’s gonna be for me.” His voice wobbles. “But I don’t want that for you, okay?”

“What the  _ hell _ .” Darren starts crying. “Why would I want a future without you?”

Steve laughs through his tears. “Sounds gay--”

“Shut up! You can’t tell me I can’t give up when you just-- you gave up!” Darren’s body starts to rock alongside his sobbing as he tries to contain it. He’s failing. “I’m already dumb, don’t give up your schooling for me!”

“What? No you’re not dumb. Dumb people aren’t able to differentiate spider species. Shut up.” Steve snarls half-heartedly.

“Yeah? Then why can’t I do math, huh?” Darren challenges. “And I can’t remember history and I can’t do physics either! I can only do biology if spider is involved! I’m  _ dumb _ !”

“No! Fuck you! The teachers are dumb! They can’t teach for shit!”

“You can’t push the blame on others!”

“Yes I can! And I’m gonna prove that  _ they’re  _ the one in the wrong!”

Darren hesitates before asking, “...how?”

“I’m going to tutor you.”

* * *

   


In all honesty… Darren should have expected this. Steve is an idiot savant, someone who can remember his favorite subjects in great details but can’t write his own name. Except he’s not really an idiot and pretty much all of the savant. Darren has been suspicious since they started middle school, that Steve was just pretending to be stupid for his favorite teacher’s attention. But… you know… that’s not something you say to your best friend’s face.

Now it’s confirmed.

“You could have skipped a grade like this.” Darren pouts.

Steve is quiet for a while as he checks over Darren’s answers. Darren thought he isn’t going to reply at all. Until he does. “I don’t want to be in a class with no you.” 

Darren can feel his cheeks heating up. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Steve smiles a bit, and Darren wonders if Steve knows he can see it.


End file.
